Forestry Journal travelled to Sweden for the return of ‘the world’s forestry fair’ last month.
The presence of over 270 exhibitors from 22 countries ensured there was an incredible amount to see. Here are a few highlights.
NOTE: This is the third in a series of articles we will publish over the coming days.
MALWA
Malwa came to the fair aiming to show off its entire range, featuring two new products, including a world first: a battery-powered combi machine which visitors saw working in the woods.
Magnus Wallin, business developer and founder of Malwa, said: “The battery arrived just a few hours ago. The machine has never run as much as it has on the demo on day one of the fair. We can really call it a world premiere for this prototype.”
The machine makes its way into the stand with an almost whining sound. It loads the wood and rolls on.
“The idea is that the battery will last a full working day and be charged during the night,” said Magnus. “We think there will be electrification of forest machines in the future. Almost 30 per cent of our sales go to urban forestry. That will be the first market to lead the way to electrification.”
Described as a big harvester but an agile one, Malwa’s new 8-wheeled 980 attracted an equal amount of interest at the show.
“We had a request from our export market for a slightly bigger machine, because the trees are growing bigger in southern Europe than in Sweden. It is equipped with a Log Max 3000 and we designed the machine around that. It’s an 8-wheel machine with a Kesla crane, 8.6m. It’s an interesting product and we’re really happy with the introduction it’s had.
“There is rising demand. Foresters are doing thinning earlier and the really big machines are not quite right for early thinnings. That’s the segment we would like to be in.”
LOG MAX
On the Log Max stand, most discussion focused on the new harvester head, the 2000T, replacing the previous 928A head. The new model features a higher feeding speed and quicker cutting, with modified delimbing knives and improved measuring, making it certain to attract customers.
Commenting on the show, Log Max’s head of sales and exports Lars Stromsund said: “The show this year is not as big as it used to be, but we’ve seen a lot of the same customers and a lot of export customers too, so we’ve been really happy. This year we’re showing our new, smallest head, the Log Max 2000T, an updated version of the 928A which has been really popular. We sell about 60 a year in this size.
“On the stand we also have the 3000T, 4000T and 6000T. We have 18 different sizes and are delivering a lot of heads everywhere. Demand is the highest it’s ever been.”
DIPPERFOX
One machine shown for the first time in real demos at a fair was the Dipperfox stump grinder, said to be compatible with attachments for various types of machines.
Magnus Johnsson, Dipperfox’s representative in Sweden, said: “It can be used on your excavator, backhoe or harvester. It operates completely hydraulically without any tricky electronics and you simply mount it on the dipper arm.”
The tool’s patented gearbox automatically adjusts speed and power depending on the resistance of the stump, soil or roots.
“It operates at a low rotation speed,” said Magnus. “This makes our stump grinder safe and also incredibly effective. No large safety zone is needed and the blades rotate so slowly that all the wood chips end up right at the grinding site. If there happens to be a stone in the ground, the blades are pushed aside. Yet another advantage of the rotation speed is that noise levels are low – so it’s perfect for use in urban environments.”
This is Pt. 3 of our Elmia Wood 2022 coverage.
Pt 1. Sniffer dogs, spruce bark beetles, Neuson and Profi Production
Pt. 2. Vimek's new eight-wheeled forwarder and Kronos
Pt. 4. Will be published on Monday
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